PetSmart Charities bag

Reaching Neighbors and Their Pets on Pet Hunger Awareness Day

by Samantha Solberg
Oct 4, 2024

If people are experiencing hunger, that often means that their pets are too.

Second Harvest Heartland and Animal Humane Society announced a new partnership to help reach pets and their families on September 24, also known as Pet Hunger Awareness Day. Over the next year, the two organizations aim to distribute 50,000 pounds of pet food and cat litter through local food shelves. The new program will launch this fall with eight food shelf partners, with plans to expand to more partners throughout the year.

“Pets are an important part of many families, including those facing hunger,” said Lindsey Ochmanek, Director of Sourcing and Demand Planning at Second Harvest Heartland. “Some of our food shelf partners have shared stories of neighbors sharing their own food from the food shelf with their pets because they couldn’t afford pet food. We are grateful to Animal Humane Society for joining us in this vital effort.”

Lindsey Ochmanek and representatives from Animal Humane Society and Neighborhood House announcing the new partnership.

Lindsey Ochmanek and representatives from Animal Humane Society and Neighborhood House announced the new partnership.

To honor the day, PetSmart Charities teamed up with food shelves at Community Emergency Service (CES) and Neighborhood House to hold community food distributions, during which neighbors received pet food and human food. PetSmart Charities launched the inaugural Pet Hunger Awareness Day campaign in 2023 to address the difficult choices families make, like forgoing other necessities to help fill their pets’ bowls. Now Pet Hunger Awareness Day is recognized on the last Tuesday of September during Hunger Action Month.

photo of Loveday visiting CES to pick up cat food.

Loveday visited CES to pick up cat food.

Loveday visited the pet food distribution at CES to get food for their 5-year-old cat, Benjamin Bug. “I live below the poverty line, and I have one cat. It's a struggle to get him the food that he needs and get me the food that I need,” said Loveday. “It's such a huge relief. This burden has been lifted. I don't have to figure out how I'm going to cover his food and my food.”